Army Painter vs Vallejo
Two dropper-bottle ranges at similar prices. The differences are smaller than the brand loyalty suggests.
The short answer
Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic has the better starter set, because it includes a primer, a brush and a practice miniature alongside eleven 18 ml bottles. Vallejo Game Color has the broader range and the deeper supporting lines, including airbrush primers and lacquer metallics Army Painter has no equivalent of.
The quick version
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Starter SetEleven 18 ml dropper bottles plus a primer, a brush and a practice miniature. More paint than the Citadel starter for less money, and dropper bottles that do not dry out. | The better starter box | 8.8 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 |  Vallejo Game Color Introduction Set (72.299)Sixteen 18 ml bottles covering the whole color wheel plus three metallics. The cheapest honest route to a complete working palette. | The broader color range | 8.4 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 |  Vallejo Surface PrimerA water-based acrylic primer that brushes or airbrushes on with almost no smell. The answer for anyone who cannot spray outdoors. | What Vallejo has and Army Painter does not | 9.1 | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 |  The Army Painter Colour Primer sprayA spray primer in army colors rather than just black, white and gray. Prime in your scheme's base color and you have saved an entire painting step. | What Army Painter does better | 8.6 | Check price on Amazon |
Scores are our own editorial read against the criteria stated below — not a lab measurement and not a user rating. Tap a row for the full write-up.
The honest framing
These two ranges are more alike than either brand would like. Both are water-based acrylics in 17–18 ml dropper bottles at broadly similar prices, both cover adequately in one or two coats, both have a one-coat range, and neither is named in the tutorials you will watch. If you own one, there is no reason to switch.
So this page is about the edges, because the edges are where the actual decision lives.
The comparison
| Army Painter (Warpaints Fanatic) | Vallejo (Game Color) | |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 18 ml | 17–18 ml |
| Bottle | Dropper, wider mouth | Dropper |
| Starter set contents | 11 paints + primer + brush + miniature | 16 paints, nothing else |
| Color range breadth | Wide, wargaming focused | Wider, plus scale-model lines |
| Metallics in the starter set | No | Yes — three |
| One-coat range | Speedpaint 2.0 — large, mature | Xpress Color |
| Spray primer | Yes, wide colored range | No aerosol; brush and airbrush only |
| Airbrush primer | Limited | Surface Primer, up to 200 ml |
| Lacquer metallics | No | Metal Color |
Starter sets: Army Painter wins clearly
This is the one unambiguous difference. The Fanatic Starter Set includes a primer, a brush and a practice miniature. The Vallejo Introduction Set is sixteen bottles of paint and nothing else.
For a complete beginner that matters a lot, because the primer is the thing people do not know they need and the practice miniature is the thing that stops them ruining their actual model. Buying the Vallejo set means two more purchases before you can start.
Against that: the Vallejo set has sixteen colors including three metallics, spanning the whole color wheel. The Army Painter set has eleven and no metallic. If you already own a primer and a brush, Vallejo is more paint and more useful paint. Both appear in the starter set roundup.
Supporting ranges: Vallejo wins clearly
The other unambiguous difference, and it matters more the longer you stay in the hobby.
Vallejo makes airbrush-ready primer in bottles up to 200 ml, Model Air for airbrushing, and Metal Color lacquer metallics. Army Painter has no real equivalent of any of them. If you are heading towards an airbrush, or you build model kits as well as painting miniatures, Vallejo covers ground Army Painter does not.
Where Army Painter wins back is aerosol primer. Its Colour Primer range comes in a wide spread of army colors, which lets you prime in your base color and skip a step. Vallejo does not sell an aerosol primer at all.
One-coat ranges
Army Painter’s Speedpaint 2.0 is the larger and more mature range, with a substantially wider color selection and its own metallics. Vallejo’s Xpress Color is smaller. Both work the same way and both need a light primer. If one-coat painting is your plan, Army Painter has more to choose from — and Speedpaint vs Contrast is the comparison that actually matters there.
Pick this if
- You are buying your very first paints and own nothing else: Army Painter Fanatic Starter Set. The primer and brush in the box are worth more than four extra colors.
- You already have a primer and brushes: Vallejo Introduction Set. More colors, three metallics, full color wheel.
- You intend to airbrush, or you build kits too: Vallejo, for the supporting ranges.
- You want to prime in your army’s base color: Army Painter, for the colored aerosol primers.
- You want one-coat paints: Army Painter, for the bigger Speedpaint range.
The picks in full
The Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Starter Set
Eleven 18 ml dropper bottles plus a primer, a brush and a practice miniature. More paint than the Citadel starter for less money, and dropper bottles that do not dry out.
What it gets right
- 18 ml dropper bottles — half again the volume of a Citadel pot, and no skin forming on a lid
- A primer in the box means you are not blocked waiting on a second order
- The included miniature gives you something to ruin before you touch your actual army
Who it is wrong for
- Color names do not match Citadel tutorials, so you will need a conversion chart at first
- Droppers need a shake and a squeeze; some painters find pots faster to dip into
- Eleven colors is a narrower palette than the 13-plus-tools Citadel box
Scored against this page’s criteria
Specs from the manufacturer: The Army Painter product page
We do not publish prices. Amazon shows the current one, which is the only one that is ever right. #ad · how this is funded
Vallejo Game Color Introduction Set (72.299)
Sixteen 18 ml bottles covering the whole color wheel plus three metallics. The cheapest honest route to a complete working palette.
What it gets right
- 288 ml of paint in one box — roughly double a Citadel starter set for comparable money
- Includes the three metallics most sets leave out, so you are not buying silver separately
- Spans the full color wheel rather than one faction's scheme, so it fits any army
Who it is wrong for
- No brush, no primer, no shade — it is paint and nothing else
- Some colors need two thin coats where a Citadel Base needs one
- Vallejo names match no tutorial you will watch; keep a conversion chart open
Scored against this page’s criteria
Specs from the manufacturer: Vallejo product page
We do not publish prices. Amazon shows the current one, which is the only one that is ever right. #ad · how this is funded
Vallejo Surface Primer
A water-based acrylic primer that brushes or airbrushes on with almost no smell. The answer for anyone who cannot spray outdoors.
What it gets right
- No aerosol, no fumes, no weather window — prime at the kitchen table in February
- Sprays through an airbrush straight from the bottle, needing little or no thinning
- Sold in large bottles, so priming a whole army is cheap
Who it is wrong for
- Brushing it on fills fine detail if you are heavy-handed — it wants thin coats
- Needs a full day to cure hard; handled too early it can peel at contact points
- An airbrush or a lot of patience is really required to get a spray-can-smooth finish
Scored against this page’s criteria
Specs from the manufacturer: Vallejo product page
We do not publish prices. Amazon shows the current one, which is the only one that is ever right. #ad · how this is funded
The Army Painter Colour Primer spray
A spray primer in army colors rather than just black, white and gray. Prime in your scheme's base color and you have saved an entire painting step.
What it gets right
- Priming in your base color removes a whole step from every model in the army
- 400 ml cans cover a lot of models for the money
- Matt finish gives later paint something to grip
Who it is wrong for
- Aerosol, so it needs dry weather, decent temperature and outdoor space
- Goes grainy fast in humidity or cold — the single most common primer complaint there is
- A colored primer locks you into that scheme; gray keeps your options open
Scored against this page’s criteria
Specs from the manufacturer: The Army Painter product page
We do not publish prices. Amazon shows the current one, which is the only one that is ever right. #ad · how this is funded
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Are Army Painter and Vallejo paints compatible?
Which has better coverage, Army Painter or Vallejo?
Does Vallejo make a spray primer?
Which starter set is better value?
More in Miniature Paints and Paint Sets, or start from the beginning with what to buy first.
Sources
- The Army Painter — official product rangechecked October 2026
- Acrylicos Vallejo — official product rangechecked October 2026